ASSISTANCE from an international NGO will help yield a bigger harvest this summer, small farmers in the regions hit by Cyclone Nargis are hoping.
Under a recovery program started in January, World Vision supplied US$600,000 worth of tractors, paddy seeds and gypsum (to improve soil conditions and crop performance) on May 29 and 30 to Bogale, Pyapon and Haingyi townships in the Ayeyarwady delta, along with agricultural training.

The assistance package comprised 60 tractors, 3000 kilograms of gypsum and 9000 baskets of paddy seeds supplied to 74 villages in Bogale township; 102 tractors and 9000 paddy seeds to 30 villages and three wards in Pyapon township; and 60 tractors and 9000 paddy seeds to 31 villages in Haingyi.

“The aid, which is part of World Vision’s livelihood recovery program, is aimed at helping small farmers by increasing crop yields and generating more income,” said U Ant Gyi, livelihood technical coordinator of World Vision’s Cyclone Nargis Recovery Program.

This is the second livelihood support program carried out by World Vision in the delta.

Most farmers faced difficulties in growing summer paddy on time due to the lack of tractors and buffalos for ploughing and having the wrong kind of seeds. But farmers are confident that the rainy-season paddy harvest will be much improved.

“We got the tractors in time to start ploughing, and I think this rainy-season paddy will be great. Last summer’s yield was unsuccessful because I couldn’t hire a tractor until after everybody else had finished ploughing. But this year I was able to share a tractor,” said U Myo Tun, 34, a farmer who owns about 7 acres in Nyi Naung Pyar village tract, Kyar Ywar village, and who lost four of his buffalos during Nargis. U Myo Tun got his seeds from GRET.

U Aye Myint, a farmer and daily labourer who owns an acre of paddy field in Kanthar village, Gyo War Kyankin village tract, Pyapon township, expects a paddy yield worth about K200,000.

“We will have a lucky draw system to decide who gets to be the first to plough the land. We collect K400 from the one who uses the machine and keep the money for maintenance. After the yield, one fifth of the paddy will be collected and redistributed next year,” said U Thein Oo, chairman of Kanthar village’s Cyclone Recovery Committee.

“This is long-term assistance that will help the country mechanise its agricultural sector, on the basis of participation,” said U Nay Lin, livelihood coordinator of World Vision’s Cyclone Nargis Recovery Program.